Cisco Webex has announced two new collaboration devices to enable seamless hybrid working.
Announced at Enterprise Connect this week, the Cisco Board Pro G2 is an AI-powered and touch-enabled collaboration device, while the Cisco Desk Phone Series 9800 is tailored to deliver a customisable productivity hub for modern desks. These multifunctional devices deliver advanced collaboration experiences for hybrid workforces in 2024.
Jeetu Patel, Executive Vice President and General Manager at Cisco Security and Collaboration, said:
Cisco is expanding our portfolio of collaboration devices to deliver modern experiences to every corner of the office — from individual workspaces to meeting rooms of all sizes and configurations. With AI built in from the ground up, our voice and video devices are changing what’s possible for hybrid workers, delivering tangible outcomes that matter.”
The Cisco Board Pro G2 and Cisco Desk Phone 9800 series represent Cisco’s latest innovations to support organisations during their transition to permanent hybrid models. These solutions are designed to facilitate seamless collaboration and adaptability in reconfigured workspaces.
Both Board Pro G2 and Desk Phone Series 9800 seamlessly integrate with Cisco Spaces and Control Hub. This integration streamlines IT management processes and offers valuable insights, empowering IT and corporate real estate teams to make informed decisions regarding workplace technology investments.
Cisco Board Pro G2
The new Cisco Board Pro G2 is a versatile, AI-powered room device designed for various small and medium-sized workspaces, such as huddle spaces, meeting rooms, and classrooms. With its touch-enabled interface, this all-in-one collaboration board ensures equitable meeting experiences for in-person and remote participants, whether seated around a table, engaging in creativity, or presenting remotely.
The Board features inclusive and expansive views, boasting a unique 96-megapixel dual-lens camera system, providing improved visibility for remote participants at any distance from the board. AI virtual zoom extends camera reach without compromising video quality. Additionally, Webex Meetings’ new multi-stream layouts allow users to simultaneously see room overviews and speakers’ close-ups simultaneously.
It features advanced AI-powered capabilities, including optimised camera views, enhanced audio, and an NVIDIA chipset and computing engine. These enable clearer video quality, improved performance, and better capacity to run web applications.
Customers can utilise this device for various collaborative workflows, seamlessly integrating video conferencing, interactive annotation, and digital whiteboarding. It’s certified for Microsoft Teams Rooms, Microsoft, Miro, Mural, and Webex visual collaboration applications.
Finally, the Board Pro G2 boasts an all-in-one design, enabling IT and facilities teams to standardise deployments and scale swiftly. The RoomOS secure operating system supports both Cisco Rooms and Microsoft Teams Rooms natively, offering organisations the flexibility to choose their preferred platform experience.
Cisco Desk Phone 9800 Series
To meet the changing needs of modern workplaces, Cisco designed the Desk Phone 9800 Series to offer seamless, personalised collaboration experiences that work on-premises or on a cloud calling platform.
In addition to bringing enterprise calling features, including premium audio and AI-powered noise removal, to every desk, the Desk Phone 9800 Series also introduces the ability to reserve desks in advance and use wayfinding to locate them. Employees can reserve desks in Cisco Spaces or scan QR codes for check-in, access contacts and call history, and seamlessly join meetings with calendar integration.
Customers also benefit from secure log-in protections and end-to-end encryption for meetings and calls, ensured by Trusted Platform Module 2.0 hardware, marking an industry first for enterprise phones.
The series also boasts a streamlined design enhanced by Cisco’s newly released PhoneOS software. Customers can seamlessly transition between desks and RoomOS-powered meeting spaces without compromising the quality of their experience.
The 9800 series simplifies deployment and management by providing a single device for desk reservation and enterprise calling, offering a more connected and cost-effective solution. It also includes zero-touch provisioning and enhanced visibility for more straightforward issue identification with ThousandEyes.
What Else Has Webex Been Up To Recently?
Last month, Cisco launched a Webex app for the Apple Vision Pro, enabling users to engage in immersive meetings through Apple’s spatial computing device.
The Webex app is now available on the App Store for visionOS. Jeetu Patel, Cisco’s Executive Vice President and General Manager of Security and Collaboration, described the device as “one of the most consequential devices of our times” during Cisco Live’s keynote in February.
Meanwhile, a range of Poly‘s Google Meet devices became interoperable with other rival video conferencing solutions, including Webex.
Webex interoperability supports the central video conferencing features, but some more advanced features — including polls, wired present, and dual-screen support — may not be available when using Poly Meet hardware to join Webex meetings.
